Just because I "have nothing in my life" does not mean I'm babysitting YOUR children - for FREE - on New Year's Eve. I have plans. No, I'm not telling you what they are. I'm not changing them because you have reservations to go out to dinner. Your problem. I refuse to make it mine and I refuse to fix it for you.

In your shoes, if I didn't have plans, I might quote him a high enough price that it would either deter him, or make it worthwhile: "that will be $400 for babysitting for the evening, payable in cash at the beginning of the night, plus an extra $100/hour if you aren't back by 1 a.m." But only if I genuinely didn't have plans (as I don't this year): I wouldn't cancel anything interesting or social, whether or not it was specifically holiday flavored. "Might" because it depends on the children: the offspring of someone like that might be the sort of handful that I wouldn't want to take on even for $100/hour.

Logged

Any advice that requires the use of a time machine may safely be ignored.

Someone please remind me I don't want to go out at New Year's, four drinks landing in my lap was not how I envisaged the year starting. I'm now home in bed with DH and the kitties for company which is much nicer.

Can we put together some sort of Early Warning System, by which 6 weeks before the celebration in question next year, we get an email saying 'remember what happened last year and start planning the escape now'?

I hereby swear that next Christmas I am not offering to organise/cater/host ANY family event other than Christmas Day, and that will be for my own nuclear family. Anybody who wants anything else from me will have to ask, out loud, in words, not by assumptions and guesswork, and if they do, then we're doing whatever it is the way I want, and we aren't changing the arrangements seventeen times including once after all the shops have shut and there isn't time to rework anything.

Yes, NYE does count: we're having a takeaway and a family evening at home and no visitors at all! I don't care who gives me the puppy dog eyes, I'm done for what's left of this year. If you wanted me to put together yet another family shindig, you should have said. If you wanted to see me on NYE, you should have invited me, not assumed that I would be organising something.

I so agree with your plans for NYE. Unfortunately, I took a nap today and woke up to the news that DS had called asking for babysitting for NYE. I love DGD, but I wish DH had given me at least the illusion of having a say in the decision making process.

I pointed out that I would never have agreed without talking to him and DH agreed that was true; however, "you were asleep, so I had to make the decision." GRRRR....

So what will you be doing while DH is babysitting?

Well, DGD is 13 and she watched TV with Poppa and then went to bed! However, I spent all day turning my sewing room/dump room into a guest room. DH has said several times, "What do you want to do tomorrow?" And he went out for pizza tonight. All in all, not too bad of a day...just wanting more consideration in the planning. I'm a teacher and I spend a lot of my time with children, so I value my down time.

Partner and I are in love. Crazy, madly, stupidly, annoyingly in love. Heck we've decided to go ahead and spend the rest of our lives together. That kind of love. That being said we don't do Valentine's Day. Neither of us are really into it, so we just don't bother with it. I'd rather Partner give me flowers on some random day because she's thinking about me then do it because it's Valentine's Day and she supposed too.

People refuse to believe we just don't do Valentine's Day. We do hit the candy sales the day after, because it's candy and it's on sale. But that's about it. I hear "Oh aren't you sad she didn't do anything? " and she gets "Oh, Glitter didn't send roses to work?" and we just stand there blinking because one day doesn't define our relationship!

Oh yeah, I got a hill.

Somewhere on the Internet last year, I saw a post about "Happy Half-price Chocolate Eve" on Valentines. That about sums up my feelings

I call it "First Sign Of Spring Day" - that's when stores start selling stuff for St. Patrick's Day and Easter!

Partner and I are in love. Crazy, madly, stupidly, annoyingly in love. Heck we've decided to go ahead and spend the rest of our lives together. That kind of love. That being said we don't do Valentine's Day. Neither of us are really into it, so we just don't bother with it. I'd rather Partner give me flowers on some random day because she's thinking about me then do it because it's Valentine's Day and she supposed too.

People refuse to believe we just don't do Valentine's Day. We do hit the candy sales the day after, because it's candy and it's on sale. But that's about it. I hear "Oh aren't you sad she didn't do anything? " and she gets "Oh, Glitter didn't send roses to work?" and we just stand there blinking because one day doesn't define our relationship!

Oh yeah, I got a hill.

Somewhere on the Internet last year, I saw a post about "Happy Half-price Chocolate Eve" on Valentines. That about sums up my feelings

I call it "First Sign Of Spring Day" - that's when stores start selling stuff for St. Patrick's Day and Easter!

We went to Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft store and they had Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day and Easter stuff already out.

Logged

ďAll that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost."-J.R.R Tolkien

Partner and I are in love. Crazy, madly, stupidly, annoyingly in love. Heck we've decided to go ahead and spend the rest of our lives together. That kind of love. That being said we don't do Valentine's Day. Neither of us are really into it, so we just don't bother with it. I'd rather Partner give me flowers on some random day because she's thinking about me then do it because it's Valentine's Day and she supposed too.

People refuse to believe we just don't do Valentine's Day. We do hit the candy sales the day after, because it's candy and it's on sale. But that's about it. I hear "Oh aren't you sad she didn't do anything? " and she gets "Oh, Glitter didn't send roses to work?" and we just stand there blinking because one day doesn't define our relationship!

Oh yeah, I got a hill.

Somewhere on the Internet last year, I saw a post about "Happy Half-price Chocolate Eve" on Valentines. That about sums up my feelings

I call it "First Sign Of Spring Day" - that's when stores start selling stuff for St. Patrick's Day and Easter!

We went to Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft store and they had Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day and Easter stuff already out.

Jo-Ann staff were setting out their Valentine's Day decor on Christmas Eve. It sort of made sense - the store was pretty darn quiet that day, but wow, talk about hurrying things along.

Partner and I are in love. Crazy, madly, stupidly, annoyingly in love. Heck we've decided to go ahead and spend the rest of our lives together. That kind of love. That being said we don't do Valentine's Day. Neither of us are really into it, so we just don't bother with it. I'd rather Partner give me flowers on some random day because she's thinking about me then do it because it's Valentine's Day and she supposed too.

People refuse to believe we just don't do Valentine's Day. We do hit the candy sales the day after, because it's candy and it's on sale. But that's about it. I hear "Oh aren't you sad she didn't do anything? " and she gets "Oh, Glitter didn't send roses to work?" and we just stand there blinking because one day doesn't define our relationship!

Oh yeah, I got a hill.

Somewhere on the Internet last year, I saw a post about "Happy Half-price Chocolate Eve" on Valentines. That about sums up my feelings

I call it "First Sign Of Spring Day" - that's when stores start selling stuff for St. Patrick's Day and Easter!

We went to Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft store and they had Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day and Easter stuff already out.

Jo-Ann staff were setting out their Valentine's Day decor on Christmas Eve. It sort of made sense - the store was pretty darn quiet that day, but wow, talk about hurrying things along.

Yea, but if you want to get your crafting done, you have to start early! For DIY supply stores like that, I think it really makes sense.

Logged

What part of v_e = \sqrt{\frac{2GM}{r}} don't you understand? It's only rocket science!

"The problem with re-examining your brilliant ideas is that more often than not, you discover they are the intellectual equivalent of saying, 'Hold my beer and watch this!'" - Cindy Couture